Bioprospecting

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Bioprospecting

Bioprospecting (pronunciation: /ˌbaɪoʊˈprɒspɛktɪŋ/) is the process of discovery and commercialization of new products based on biological resources. These resources or compounds can be important for and useful in many fields, including pharmaceuticals, agriculture, bioremediation and nanotechnology, among others.

Etymology

The term "bioprospecting" is derived from two words: "bio" (from the Greek word "bios" meaning "life") and "prospecting" (from the Latin word "prospectus" which means "view or outlook"). A literal translation would be "searching for life".

Related Terms

  • Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth, in all its forms and all its interactions.
  • Biopiracy: The commercial development of naturally occurring biological materials, such as plant substances or genetic cell lines, by a technologically advanced country or organization without fair compensation to the peoples or nations in whose territory the materials were originally discovered.
  • Biotechnology: The use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use".
  • Pharmacognosy: The study of medicinal drugs derived from plants or other natural sources.
  • Ethnobotany: The study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people.

See Also

External links

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